Waking Up
by indigorhapsody
Summary: Chapter 1: Kurama's hungover, and Hiei's confused. Chapter 2: Hiei is still confused. Random HK.
1. Chapter 1

Waking Up

Author's Notes: I'm supposed to be working on updating my chapter fic, but instead I ended up with this. *offers*

Muse: *scans fic*

*Lowers paper, gives author odd look*

. . . What _is_ this?

Author: *twiddles thumbs, looking guilty*

Uhh . . . I'm not so sure, myself.

. . . it, uh . . . has some Hiei/Kurama in it . . .

Muse: *sighs* At least it has _one_ redeeming factor.

*turns to audience, points to author* She doesn't own them.

Author: *annoyed* I _know_ that.

*clears throat, ignores muse* Review?

* * * 

Kurama woke well after the sun had risen, vivid on the horizon, on the wet morning after his mother had gotten married. Really, she had chosen a good fellow; after all, he wouldn't have let the man anywhere near his mother if he hadn't met certain exacting standards.

Besides, he hadn't really expected her to stay unmarried; she was an attractive and charming woman, and she wasn't meant to be alone. The happiness on her face at the wedding had been unmistakable. Of course, no matter what measure of reassurance that had been, it hadn't stopped him from getting drunk at the reception. Whether the urge to escape had been the result of worry about her, or the strange yearning he had felt when Shiori had allowed herself to be led away from the reception, a faint blush on her cheeks, Kurama didn't know. Well - it wasn't so much that he didn't know, as he didn't remember. 

They had figured on it being a small wedding, but somehow it didn't end up that way. Yusuke had insisted upon being invited, one thing led to another, and among any number of odd circumstances, even Hiei had shown up. In the middle of the reception, someone had been sent out to replenish the dwindling supply of liquor, and it had all gone downhill from there.

Oddly enough, with what little he did remember, two furtively watchful red eyes seemed foremost in his scattered memory. Only there was something else, something he should be remembering and wasn't . . . what was it?

He might have reacted differently to waking up and finding those eyes still watching him, but good alcohol impairs judgement well after the fact. Apparently the alcohol had been very good.

"W' happened?" he croaked.

Hiei, lounging on the windowsill in that deceptively casual manner of his, glared. "You don't remember?"

The kitsune shook his red head groggily.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Hiei huffed slightly.

The fox's fine brow furrowed slightly. "I remember drinking a little too much . . ."

"You got piss drunk," the koorime said bluntly. "You threw up a few times, said something ridiculous about being in love with me, and passed out cold."

Kurama had the grace to look embarrassed.

Of course, Hiei had left the part out about helping him to the bathroom and holding his hair as he puked, and letting the kitsune cling to him as he tried to clean him up. He also refrained from mentioning that he had been the one to carry Kurama to bed, tuck him in, and keep a vigil at his bedside armed with a bucket, just in case the kitsune needed him. That was all completely unnecessary information . . . but so was the whole bit about Kurama confessing his undying love, and somehow that had slipped out.

Not that Hiei was very likely to take such a confession to heart . . . for all he knew, the alcohol had an affection for him Kurama didn't share in . . . as drunk as the kitsune had been, it was possible. It could have been a joke, though neither of them were laughing. Well, Hiei wasn't. You never really knew about Kurama.

"Drink this." He pushed the glass of water on the bedside table into Kurama's unsteady hand, and the kitsune obediently took a sip. He grimaced.

"Leave it to me to embarrass myself at my mother's wedding."

Hiei shrugged. "She and her ningen had long since left."

Kurama blinked. Hiei was acting . . . strange. He wisely decided not to say anything, and secretly hoped it didn't have anything to do with what he'd said last night. It was just the sort of thing that could completely ruin the trust he'd worked so hard to foster between them.

"Kurama . . ." Hiei began, staring intensely.

"Yes?" he answered, hoarse voice tinged with confusion.

Hiei just stared for a very long time, until Kurama was sure he wasn't going to answer.

"Never mind," the fire demon finally grumbled. He paused with one foot on the window, head turned toward him but avoiding eye contact. "Just don't do it again." And then he was gone.

_Well, that could have meant just about anything, _Kurama thought in frustration. It could have referred to his drunkenness, or embarrassing them both, or . . .

Well, as for not repeating the whole confession thing, Kurama wasn't sure he'd be willing to make any promises.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Waking Up

Chapter 2

Author's Notes: I truly, honestly did not plan on continuing this. But . . . it's hard for me to turn down a request. Besides, I have a weakness for cookies.  
Muse: You're hopeless.  
Author: I agree. Please review. I apologize in advance if it's exceedingly Vague.

* * * 

Hiei had to admit that he'd done some self-destructive things before, but he'd never thought that getting Kurama drunk would turn out to be one of them. It had been surprisingly easy to do, actually - the fox had seemed to find no problem with the fact that his glass never seemed to empty. Kurama's mind had obviously been elsewhere.

"Remind me next time to curb my curiosity," Hiei muttered under his breath, tucking his hands behind his head and stretching his legs out on his chosen tree branch. He'd honestly thought it would be fun to get the kitsune drunk - just to see what he'd do, or say. Unfortunately, it went from fun to disturbing much too quickly for Hiei's tastes. The kitsune had turned out to be a brooding drunk, and he had said very little. But what few things he _did_ say . . .

It wasn't the fact that he kept thinking about it that kept him awake. He was awake because he wasn't tired. The memory of unfocused green eyes and a slurred, drunken-earnest _"Hiei . . ."_ had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Right.

He felt the sudden need to kill something. Burn something. Anything - if only it would get his mind off of its current subject for a precious moment. Trying to sleep was only making it worse.

Lightning flashed distantly, and he closed his eyes briefly, noting with satisfaction the change in air pressure as the storm approached. The leaves above him began to stir, ever-so-slightly.

He could only hope that the fox would take his advice and never mention it again. But somehow, he knew he hadn't heard the last of it. When Youko Kurama wanted something, he got it, by whatever means necessary. There was no doubt that Kurama had wanted _something._ The look in his eyes had definitely convinced Hiei of that, if nothing else. Whether or not it had been meaningless sex, he didn't know. Nor did he particularly care to think about it. He could have taken full advantage of the situation - even if it might have been more, he was sure that Kurama's confession was at least a not-so-subtle attempt to get him into bed.

Regardless, if sex was all he wanted, Kurama could just as easily find it elsewhere. Hiei would have nothing to do with it. Their relationship could have been called many things, but 'casual' was definitely not one of them. Hiei had never trusted anyone to such a degree. But to put it simply, he didn't trust himself. It would be so easy to make assumptions, and so easy to be hurt because of it. Kurama spoke in shades of truth, which Hiei had trouble interpreting even now. What he'd said seemed clear enough - but had he really meant it . . . the way Hiei _wanted_ him to mean it?

A raindrop chose that moment to fall on the tip of his nose. He opened his eyes and crossed them, glaring at the offending droplet of water.

* * *

Kurama was lying on his bed in the dark, staring at the way the lightning was playing on the ceiling. He'd left his window open, and the curtains fluttered in the humid air. As he watched languidly, a shadow fell across the room.

He sat up to meet the slightly annoyed eyes of Hiei, who was perched on the windowsill.

"Hiei." Peering closer, he noticed the way his dark hair was plastered to his head. "Is it raining?"

In answer to his tongue-in-cheek question, the storm caught up to the drenched youkai and the heavens outside Kurama's house opened up.

* * *

A kitsune's nature was not to offer assistance - it was to give it. So Kurama, in true spirit-fox fashion, didn't just hand Hiei a towel - he draped it over his head and started vigorously drying the irked fire youkai's hair.

Hiei snatched the towel away and backed up a few steps. "Is that really necessary?"

Kurama didn't try too hard not to look hurt, but smiled inwardly. "What, I'm not allowed to touch you anymore?"

"You're not just touching," Hiei growled, glaring.

Kurama sighed dramatically. "Why do you keep drawing lines, Hiei?"

"Why do you keep crossing them?" A legitimate question, though Hiei was pretty sure of the answer. _Stupid fox probably thinks that's what lines are for,_ he thought.

From the look on the kitsune's face, Hiei knew that was exactly what he was thinking.

"I'm leaving," Hiei announced irritably.

A smile touched Kurama's lips. "Am I boring you?"

_Never,_ the fire demon thought cynically. "What of it?"

"I'm making you uncomfortable," Kurama observed, taking a step closer.

Hiei made a harsh, dismissive sound in the back of his throat, his eyes darting to the window. He would have to get around Kurama to get to it.

"Is it because of what I said when I was drunk?"  
  
Hiei unconsciously took a step backwards. "You were drunk," he said. "You don't even remember. Why should I take something like that seriously?"

"It's still bothering you, though," Kurama said, stepping closer still.

"That's assuming it meant something to me."

Kurama winced inwardly at the harsh edge of those words, but reminded himself of who exactly he was trying to corner. He would be lucky if he escaped unscathed. But oh, would it ever be worth it . . .

"You don't even want to discuss it?"

"There is_ nothing _to discuss," the fire youkai said irritably

There was a long silence, during which Hiei kept his eyes fixed intently on the open window, and the stormy night beyond. "Isn't there?"

Hiei looked up abruptly, and belatedly realized that Kurama had trapped him against the wall. _What is he going to do? Try to kill me?_ His eyes widened as the fox leaned closer, and pure panic raced through his veins. _No,_ he realized. _Worse. He's going to kiss me._

Kurama hadn't meant the kiss to be anything more than an innocent peck, more to prove his point than anything else. He'd forgotten that as little as a spark, given the right conditions, could burn whole worlds, whole lifetimes of harsh restraint, to ashes.

Surely, surrender had become their only option.

Their heated kiss ended much too soon, and for long moments, the only sound was that of their labored breathing and the rain outside, which seemed to be slowing. Gradually, their grip on each other loosened, and the kitsune took a step back, putting some much-needed distance between them.

Kurama's soft voice broke the stunned silence first. "Leave."

Hiei looked up, startled, but Kurama refused to meet his eyes. "What?"

"Leave now, and I'll never mention it, ever again."

The implied, if that's what you really want' was not lost on Hiei. Sometimes, they understood each other perfectly.

Hiei wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to be loved, how he would handle it, and if he really wanted it in the first place.

Though now, it had become less a matter of if, and more a matter of why.

* * *


End file.
